Grocery Store Sticker Shock

Today, while wandering through the grocery store I decided to drop into the produce section to see what prices are. But, I was not ready for what I saw, true sticker shock!  My garden is so heavily producing peppers right now that we are harvesting more than we can eat, more than we can preserve for winter, and more than the neighbors are willing to take. But the prices in the grocery store totally floored me. The first thing that hit me was the Bell Peppers for $2 each. Really?  I am picking 5 or 6 a day of the bell peppers, and I think the six seeds I used to start the plants probably cost me 10¢ or 15¢.   Then, I saw the Banana Peppers and Jalapeno peppers. I had to snap a picture of them, since no one would believe these prices.  I am sooooooo glad that I have such productive gardens!

$7.99 for Banana Peppers?  They weigh approx 2 oz per pepper, so that is $1.00 per pepper!


How much is this Banana Pepper plant worth at $1 per pepper?


$4.49 for Jalapeno Peppers?  I thought they were expensive at their regular price of $1 per pound.


A very valuable Jalapeno Pepper plant in the garden.

It’s crazy, OG.  I cannot believe the prices….makes me want to push the envelope on dates as far as what I should be starting.  Really, seeds are cheap.  Veggies not so much!

Produce is even expensive here in the bread basket (produce) of the US. The best buy is red or green seedless table grapes at $1.67/ lb. This is their season. Of course, the day before this special, I paid $3.79/lb.

Brussels sprouts $2.99/lb. Avocado $1.69 each.

I planted nine Bell pepper plants and they're really coming on, big time. We take Wal-Mart plastic bags full of peppers to the sinior citizens building across town.  We also had a huge potato and sweet Vidalia onion crop this year.
         
I planted a fall crop of "Bush Crop" Cucumbers and they're going crazy now.  My fall Cabbage, Turnips and Georgia Collard greens are doing great. Also have Lettuce salad blend, Radish and green Onions doing great......
         
           I can see a lot more people than ever planting a garden with these high prices now days.  I cut back on my garden size a few years ago but I still have four 4 x 8 raised beds (two with hoops), a 2 x 10 raised bed and twenty half barrels.

   It's too hot now but I'll go out early in the morning and take some pics of the garden....   Y'all keep dig'n.

MrBooker wrote:I planted nine Bell pepper plants and they're really coming on, big time. We take Wal-Mart plastic bags full of peppers to the sinior citizens building across town.  We also had a huge potato and sweet Vidalia onion crop this year.
         
I planted a fall crop of "Bush Crop" Cucumbers and they're going crazy now.  My fall Cabbage, Turnips and Georgia Collard greens are doing great. Also have Lettuce salad blend, Radish and green Onions doing great......
         
           I can see a lot more people than ever planting a garden with these high prices now days.  I cut back on my garden size a few years ago but I still have four 4 x 8 raised beds (two with hoops), a 2 x 10 raised bed and twenty half barrels.

   It's too hot now but I'll go out early in the morning and take some pics of the garden....   Y'all keep dig'n.

Wow, that's a lot of planting space.

Your peppers look awesome.

I have been rebuilding my beds this year, I am still at it in this heat (Back problems all winter and spring). For what I am spending and what I have been getting so far I figure my tomatoes cost 10 bucks each or more. As soon as I finish the last bed tomorrow I will be getting out my cool weather seeds.

I only started gardening after I retired.  I am still on a major learning curve.

MrBooker wrote:  It's too hot now but I'll go out early in the morning and take some pics of the garden....   Y'all keep dig'n.

I'm holding you to it!

Post on your personal thread so they don't get lost.  Thank you

Sorry I haven't been on lately.  My husband died and I've been having to deal with so many things.  Being alone is harder than anything.  We always worked in the garden together.  It's harder to do if you're by yourself.  

You're right about the prices.  I've never seen produce this high, ever and I've been around for a while as most of us have!  Luckily, I had parents that grew up during the depression and they taught us kids about surviving.  With the farmers tilling under half their crops this year because of draught and gas prices, we're going to have to provide for ourselves.  Besides, you can't get what we grow in the produce department at the local grocers.  I'm glad I taught my children and grandchildren to grow gardens.  They found out what REAL food tastes like.  Unfortunately, our son is in AZ and our daughter is in FL but, they all have their own gardens now.  They are refusing to buy produce now.  One thing I will never BUY again is cantaloupe (unless it's from the Farmers' Market).  I've noticed that everything tastes flat because the produce is being harvested and put in cold storage.  I even purchased 2 mini-dwarf cherry trees and a mini-dwarf peach tree.  The 2 Ark Berry canes I gat did well this year but won't produce until next year.  We have wild blackberries everywhere here, but because of the of the heat, they're very small and I absolutely hate the thorns.  I also got a Thimbleberry bush from the University but, it too will not produce until next year.

Well, so far, I've donated about 30% of what I've been growing to our local Foodbank.  Tons of picklers being preserved - my 1898 Bread & Butter being the most asked for.  I've been canning about 1-five gallon bucket every 3 or 4 days.  I got 4 half gallon and 4 gallon jars for doing the larger dills/koshers.  It was all I could do to be able to afford them!  Tomatoes, onions and bells have done very well.  I can't believe the prices for canning supplies this year!  It was harder than all get-out to find largemouth seals locally!  I think I'll be doing some Winter online shopping this year.  I think I'll be canning some tomato jam this year.  My mother used to make it all the time when I was growing up.  Next year's garden is going to be bigger.  I left half my garden fallow and will be adding soil amendments to each box before winter.  Going to have to get more ever bearer strawberries because I plowed under a 4'x8' box that I started 5 years ago.  They'll go into a different box next year and the cantaloupes will replace them.  I found a great way to dehydrate them!  Carrots and beans will be added too.  Sorry, I spend all winter planning my boxes and I'm trying to think of more things to plant.  Sorry to be so long-winded.  It's nice to be able to come here and talk with you all and get your opinions.

Yep, the price of fuel, and no doubt some gouging is going on too.

I am canning, dehydrating everything I can buy or produce.

White Wolf,  I'm so sorry you lost your husband.  Gardening without him must be so different and I imagine not as enjoyable.  But, it's good you are still continuing to provide for yourself.

For the last 2 years, it has been hard to find canning supplies.  I found out my DIL buys pints and half-pints just for drinking glasses from her Walmart, and tosses the lids and rings!! For Christmas, I gave her a canning list and have a decent stockpile.  You may want to check with your local Walmart about getting some cases of pints and quarts, plus extra Ball lids.

Christmas

Whitewolf, sorry to hear about your loss.  I garden alone and it’s definitely possible, just takes longer!  Occasionally I need more strength to help, but honestly its very doable in the SFG method.  

Thanks so much Scorpio and Sanderson for the advice and the condolences.  I appreciate both.  I think I'm going to go into hiding for a few days...September 1st would have been our 50th Anniversary.  We had such plans...

Anyway, I guess I'll be going to Walmart.com to get more seals and jars.  I just ran out of pint and quart jars.  I love their free shipping and it comes right to my door.  No need to haul them out to the car and then from the car, up the ramp and then to the house.  Very energy saving.  LOL!  Biggest problem I had this year was preparing the garden boxes for planting.  I can work out there for about 30 minutes before my back messes me up.  So, I go and sit on the deck until the pain subsides and get back out to do it again.  I imagine that when I have to add the soil amendments, I'll be on the deck after I move each bag.  Nine - forty pound bags...I'm tired just thinking about it.  But then I think of that garden that will be filled next year!  Truly, it will be my garden that keeps me going.  During the Winter, I'll be plotting and planning and drawing schematics of where each and every fruit and vegetable will be planted and then, in Spring, getting down to business.  I'll also be praying that my new trees make it through the Winter and show new growth in the Spring.  If all goes right, this next Spring will be known as my Miracle Spring or "The BIG Comeback".  

OH!  Almost forgot!  The University where I get my trees just came out with a NEW crossover!  It's called the "Pluerry".  It's a cross between a Cherry and plum tree!  Sounds quite interesting.  It looks like "pop-in-your-mouth" plums.  I think I would rather have plum size cherries, but we can't have everything.  LOL

WW, I had back surgery last year and basically only carry a max of 10 pounds. That leaves out 40 pounds of compost!! I bought a garden stool that weighs 8 pounds. I strongly advise you to hire someone to dump 9 bags of compost into the beds for you. If you can turn under the compost, great. If you can't, give the young man your garden trowel and have him turn it under. Save your back for the easier activities in the garden.

I bought a small electric roto tiller to rurn over and work compost et al into the MM.

It can't weight much more than 10 or 15 pounds, it is a corded electric. It does a great job.

We pay 48 pence [56 cents] per bell pepper in the UK! Somebody somewhere is making a huge profit.

This is ridiculous.  Strawberries are going for $3.50 per pound, Cantaloupes $1.10 per pound, and Cherries are going for $7.50 per pound.  Is it any wonder that these are in my garden plants?  This is what happens when you live in a rural community that has 2 stores - both owned by the same company.  It's even worse during the winter when we get snow.  Our closest city is 50 miles (one way) and they know us older folks won't drive 100 miles to go grocery shopping in the snow.  Besides, the gas is still over $4.50 per gallon here so there would be no savings.  I have plenty of food in my pantries, it's just that I'll have to replace it throughout next year and the prices will be higher than what I paid before.  We were taught to always buy extra and to put that aside for emergencies.  I checked the strawberries, and they're white on the inside which means they weren't ripe when they were harvested and then they were put in cold storage.  Such disregard for American consumers.  I'm pretty sure that half of the public can't remember what real (home grown) food tastes like.  So sad for them   

WhiteWolf22 wrote: This is what happens when you live in a rural community that has 2 stores - both owned by the same company.  It's even worse during the winter when we get snow.  Our closest city is 50 miles (one way) and they know us older folks won't drive 100 miles to go grocery shopping in the snow. 

Probably has very little to do with the price gouging going on. We live in an area with a number of large chain grocery stores including Kroger, Walmart, Target, Meijer, etc., and all of them have outrageous prices on all fresh produce. That is why we are seeing more and more neighbors starting to grow their own gardens. Check out the price of these Sweet Banana Peppers at a local grocery store:

It’s just crazy!

Chuck d'Argy wrote:I bought a small electric roto tiller to rurn over and work compost et al into the MM.

It can't weight much more than 10 or 15 pounds, it is a corded electric.  It does a great job.

I need to replace my old small tiller. We keep rebuilding it only to have the fuel system fail again. Once in the distant past, we used the ethanol gas before we knew it would ruin small engines.  My better half is a whiz at small engines amongst other things, but this one ...   maybe it's like the weed eater, he finally bought a diff carburetor and it now works. 

Anyway, I'm shopping -- what brand did you buy?  I don't need to till my SFG's but to break ground and remove grass and such, a small tiller is a good device.

[ I bought an Aldi Ferrex brand tiny lawn mower (14" across?) and so far battery op, it works like a charm for close in work.  Got it half price.  Friends who have bought Ferrex tools in UK have been happy so I thought I'd give it a go. Hope they start carryign more of the woodworking and yard tools here. ]

WhiteWolf22 wrote:This is ridiculous.  Strawberries are going for $3.50 per pound, Cantaloupes $1.10 per pound, and Cherries are going for $7.50 per pound.  Is it any wonder that these are in my garden plants?  This is what happens when you live in a rural community that has 2 stores - both owned by the same company.  It's even worse during the winter when we get snow.  Our closest city is 50 miles (one way) and they know us older folks won't drive 100 miles to go grocery shopping in the snow.  Besides, the gas is still over $4.50 per gallon here so there would be no savings.  I have plenty of food in my pantries, it's just that I'll have to replace it throughout next year and the prices will be higher than what I paid before.  We were taught to always buy extra and to put that aside for emergencies.  I checked the strawberries, and they're white on the inside which means they weren't ripe when they were harvested and then they were put in cold storage.  Such disregard for American consumers.  I'm pretty sure that half of the public can't remember what real (home grown) food tastes like.  So sad for them   

 Can you arrange to have three or four different house holders to do a group shop to their own premade lists in one vehicle to a Cost Co sort of place & split the fuel costs three or four ways?

 I'm so pleased we invested in a 22 & 1/2 quart All American Pressure Canner and with help from a site member got it shipped over here with an extra trivet.  Almost three hundred assorted Weck glass pressure canning jars direct from Germany, with lids and 100 clips for the jars later we started our voyage into pressure canning. 

In all to set up we spent about $900 USD for canner & jars etc  , now the canner  & jars have paid for themselves time & time again.

All it costs to can now is about 20 cents per sealing ring per jar and an hour of bottled gas (50 cents? ) to boil up the canner , so we may can up to six litres of food at a time. 
If doing several batches in one day the gas cost is almost 30 cents per boil up as the canner has plenty of hot water still in it.

Paul Crowe wrote:We pay 48 pence [56 cents] per bell pepper in the UK! Somebody somewhere is making a huge profit.

 Paul ,
We tend to buy almost all our kitchen shopping stuff from from ALDI or more often than not LIDL as locally there are three .....soon to be four such shops here at Cross hands or in Ammanford South Wales UK.

Often it seems we save £35 or more each week shopping to a strict shopping list by using them instead of the big 24 hr Tesco 

Their veg stuff is streets better & cheaper than the other big supermarket chains. 
IIRC Usually Lidl small, sweet horn capsicums are the cheapest by far. 
 Don't you have  a local one near yopu down in Devon ?

Soose wrote:

Chuck d'Argy wrote:I bought a small electric roto tiller to turn over and work compost et al into the MM.

It can't weight much more than 10 or 15 pounds, it is a corded electric.  It does a great job.

I need to replace my old small tiller. We keep rebuilding it only to have the fuel system fail again. Once in the distant past, we used the ethanol gas before we knew it would ruin small engines.  My better half is a whiz at small engines amongst other things, but this one ...   maybe it's like the weed eater, he finally bought a diff carburetor and it now works. 

Anyway, I'm shopping -- what brand did you buy?  I don't need to till my SFG's but to break ground and remove grass and such, a small tiller is a good device.

I bought this little machine. It's a Ryobi 3.5 amp corded electric tiller. I really bought it to work new compost into existing MM beds. I don't know that it can do what you want, it's really super light.  But shop around, find one or something like it, and decide for yourself. I have never tried busting up sod.